Another Part Of Me
by ajanep94
Summary: Ezria season 3 AU/meet Ezra's family fic. Fourth chapter recently updated.
1. Disclosure

**All characters belong to Sara Shepard and/or ABC Family. I do not own anything. **

* * *

**Chapter One – Disclosure**

'Aria! Time to go!'

_Crap. _

Aria rolled over and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. She could've sworn she'd put it on snooze. She jumped out of bed and looked in the mirror. There was no way in hell she would be ready for school in the next thirty seconds.

'Go without me!' she called, opening her bedroom door a notch, 'I'm not feeling well…I was going to skip study hall.'

'Aria…' Ella's voice took on a warning tone as she started to climb the stairs.

'Mom, honestly, just go. I'll be in second period I promise.'

Ella glanced at her pyjama-ed daughter and then at her watch, 'Staying up too late is not a good enough excuse to miss study hall. If you are a fraction of a second late to my class you're grounded for a week.'

'Okay,' Aria squeaked, 'I'll be there.'

She waited as she heard her mom and Mike leave the house, a few moments later the car started and left the drive. She exhaled and flopped back onto her bed. She was _exhausted_.

She knew that she shouldn't be. Aria's life was less stressful now than it had been for a long time. She was almost two months into senior year; she had a great group of friends and an incredible boyfriend. She was also no longer being stalked, which was a bonus. Her family was an issue still, though. Byron and Ella had split up over the summer, for good this time. In all honesty, Aria was glad that the inevitable had happened. She knew they didn't love each other anymore and the atmosphere at home had become unbearable. Now they could move on. The fact that her dad had moved out and her mom would let her see Ezra (though the rules were strict) was a bonus that she tried to pretend she could live without. Even if she couldn't.

So why was she so damn tired?

Her phone buzzed. Oh, yeah. That was why.

_Good morning beautiful…_

She rolled her eyes.

_You already spoke to me this morning, nerd. _

_I count 3am as yesterday. _

_Well, I count it as barely four and a half hours ago. _

_Okay. My apologies. Forgive me for being so insensitive and making assumptions about what day it is?_

_I sense sarcasm…_

_Love you Pookiebear. _

_What time tonight?_

_7?_

_Yes. Love you right back. Nerd._

She smiled to herself and chucked her phone back on her bed, grabbing her towel and heading for the shower.

* * *

After the bell rang Aria tried her best to escape the classroom before her mom could catch her. Unfortunately, however, luck was not on her side.

'Hold on a minute…'

She span around on her heels, 'Yes?'

'Don't give me that, young lady,' Ella warned, 'Sit.'

Aria sank into a chair, 'Sorry,' she muttered.

Ella sighed and leaned back against her desk, 'Sorry for what?'

'For being rude…'

Ella hesitated for a moment, before tossing her head back in exasperation, 'I'm not mad at you for being rude. In fact, I'm not even sure that I'm mad at you. But we need to talk.'

'I know.'

'Aria…If you want me to relax the rules, to treat you more like an adult and take your relationship seriously then you may want to try behaving in a manner that makes me think that you deserve it.'

Ella paused then, giving this statement a moment to sink in as she tried to gauge her daughter's reaction. Aria looked puzzled.

'What do you mean, exactly?'

'I _mean _that staying up all night texting is not exactly a mature way to conduct oneself.'

_Oh, that. _

The annoying thing was really that Ella was right. In fact, Ella was pretty much always right. Regardless of whether or not Aria agreed with or liked what she was saying, Ella rarely missed the mark. She rarely said anything that wasn't rational. Unfortunately for Aria this was not a trait she'd passed on.

'Sorry.'

Ella raised her eyebrows with a chuckle, 'Is that the best you can do?'

'I'm sorry, Mom. It won't happen again. I promise.'

'You promised that you wouldn't allow your relationship to affect your schoolwork.'

'I know.'

Ella glanced at her watch, 'Go on, grab some lunch. We can talk later.'

Aria gave her a weak smile and headed for the door of the classroom. Then she remembered: _tonight. _She turned around, 'Just to clarify…'

'What?'

'Well, you said yesterday that I could go to Ezra's for dinner tonight.'

Ella gave her a look. An _I-can't-believe-you're-actually-pushing-your-luck-this-far _kind of look.

'Home by 10. And only because you'll mope around and annoy me even more if you're at home.'

Aria's face lit up, 'I love you momma.'

Ella rolled her eyes and gave a rueful smile, 'Get out of my classroom before I change my mind.'

* * *

'Just a second!' Ezra called in response to the knocking on the door.

He glanced around. The table was laid, candles lit, music playing and dinner was almost ready. Kicking a stray sock under the couch he strode to the door and opened it.

'Hey,' he smiled.

'Hey.'

Aria reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing him gently back so the door swung shut. A few moments later they broke away.

'What did I do to earn that?' Ezra breathed, running his hands down her arms.

As a response, Aria snuggled into him, 'Nothing,' she murmured.

'Rough day?' he asked, resting his chin on her head.

She gave a rueful smile, 'It was my own fault.'

He pulled away, holding her head in his hands and looking into her eyes, 'What happened?'

She gazed at him for a second, her eyes pretty much glazing over, 'Nothing. Ignore me, I'm being…' her voice trailed away.

'What?'

Aria gasped as she took in the room for the first time. The candles and the music. The smell of something that was bound to taste really good wafting from the kitchen.

She looked cautiously at him, 'I'm pretty sure our anniversary was several weeks ago…?'

Ezra grinned at her as he walked over to the oven to check on the food, 'I can't plan a nice evening for the girl I'm in love with?'

'Oh god…what do you want?'

He laughed at that, 'Your lack of faith in me is overwhelming.'

'Is it dirty? Are you trying to seduce me into doing some weird thing you read in _Men's Health _or something?'

'Aria!'

'What?' she teased, loving how badly she was making him blush.

'Do you really think that I read magazines that give sex advice?'

'Maybe you should…'

At that Ezra threw the oven gloves on the work surface and leapt towards her, tackling her so that they both fell back on the couch.

'I'm sorry!' she laughed hysterically, gasping for breath, 'I was kidding.'

'You know you're going to be forced to allow me to prove you wrong?'

'I can handle that,' she chuckled, dragging his head down to kiss her.

'Enough,' he said, pulling away. 'I just actually cooked for you and I'm not letting it burn.'

She sighed but let him go, heaving himself up off the sofa to attend to his Fettuccini.

_My favourite. _

_He knows me too well_, she thought as she watched him cook. With suspicion she glanced around the room again. It was very perfect, very romantic. Her favourite meal, The Script on the stereo, then something caught her eye. _It Happened One Night _was resting on the table by the TV. Too far.

_Game's up, Fitz. What aren't you telling me?_

It's not that he isn't romantic. But his romanticism is far more casual, more impulsive than this. Grabbing her to kiss her after Alison's funeral. The speech he made on his last day at Rosewood. She supposed that the poem he wrote wasn't spontaneous, but he had never meant for her to see it.

She absentmindedly touched the locket and chain she wore constantly. She thought back to that day in the City over the summer. They had been walking past an antique store when she'd spotted a pair of earrings in the window. He'd gone inside right then to buy them but had come out with the locket as well. _When I saw this I wanted you to have it, _he'd said after she'd chastised him for spoiling her. It wasn't until she'd got home that she read the inscription; _To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world_.

Yeah, Ezra did romantic. But not like this.

At that moment Ezra put a bowl down in front of her, dragging her from her thoughts.

'Ezra?'

'Mmm?'

'What's going on?'

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

'There's…there's something I wanted to ask you.'

'Yeah?'

'This weekend…will you…I mean, could you maybe come away with me on Saturday night?'

'I, I don't know,' Aria was taken aback.

'It's just that, I kind of told my parents that we would go and stay with them.'

* * *

**A/N: So, when I said that I wouldn't write a multi-chapter…I lied. I wasn't lying at the time, but this idea came to me and I really wanted to try it. I've planned five chapters (it's not exactly going to be an epic get married, have eight kids and live forever type) incorporating more Ella (because she's a babe), the girls and Ezra's family. Unfortunately Byron will be unavailable due to the lake I threw him in. **

**I'll probably update in a week or so, if I do five(ish) chapters I can drag it out to finish just as we get the new episodes. Plus I have kind of mega important exams which should really be my priority, rather than fangirling. **

**Reviews make me smile and when I smile I write, so please let me have your feedback. It makes me super duper happy. **

**Annie xo**

**(anniejphoenix) **


	2. The Fight

**All characters belong to Sara Shepard and/or ABC Family. I do not own anything. **

***This chapter was edited slightly on 6th June 2012, you might want to reread it***

* * *

**Chapter Two – The Fight**

'You did _what_?'

Ezra hesitated a moment. Was it too late to pretend he'd said something else?

Yeah.

He took a deep breath, 'I said we would go visit my parents.'

'Your parents?' Aria repeated.

'Yes.'

'As in…'

'…The people who gave me life? Yeah, them.'

He paused again, trying to read Aria's expression. She was standing in front of the refrigerator staring at him blankly, still holding a plate in one hand.

'I…I don't get it.'

'Don't get what?'

'This…' she gestured to the room, the candles and music. 'Why would you do all this just to tell me that?'

At that Ezra was baffled, 'I guess I thought you might be mad?'

'Why would I be mad?'

'Because I made plans without asking you.'

She looked at him warily, 'Ezra?'

'Because I lied when I told you that I'd told them about us and that they were okay with it.'

She took a step back, remembering that conversation. He'd shrugged it off when she'd asked, said it hadn't been a big deal. His parents were open-minded. They were a little shocked but they'd get over it.

'You lied?'

'Listen, Aria…'

'You lied.'

He sighed, hanging his head a little.

'Yeah,' he replied, biting his lip and rubbing his hands together nervously.

_He lied. _

_He lied to me. I asked him a question and he lied. _

'Why?'

'Look, I wanted to tell them…'

'Then why didn't you?'

He could feel himself becoming defensive, 'I was afraid of what they might say.'

'Well why…I mean…why didn't you just tell me that?'

'Because you would have asked why I was afraid.'

Aria shook her head, 'You know what?' she breathed, 'I know why. I just, I thought we were past that. I thought we didn't care what people thought.'

_But of course we do. Doubts like that don't just go away. You can tell yourself that what society thinks doesn't matter, but it does. Love conquers all, except for when it doesn't. _

'Of course I _care_, Aria! How could I just _not care_? These aren't just any people, they're my parents.'

_His parents. His family. He knows what they'll think of me, and their opinion matters most to him. _

'So why have you now decided to take me to see them this weekend?'

'Rip the band-aid off, I guess.'

_What the hell kind of dumb idea was that?_

'So you still haven't told them?'

'Hey, I stood in front of your parents and told them.'

'Oh!' she cried, 'We're taking turns, are we?'

'Would you stop twisting my words?'

She slammed the plate she was holding onto the counter, 'The funny thing is, though, I don't really feel like I am twisting your words. You're ashamed of me.'

'I'm not,' he breathed.

'Would you just _stop lying_?'

'Like I'm the one who's always lying?' he scoffed.

They fell silent. The room felt like it was about to burst with tension. With emotion. How had their pleasant evening together escalated into a fight? Suddenly Ezra was hideously aware of the music still playing in the background. He turned and walked to the stereo to switch it off. As he got there he heard the door slam.

She'd gone.

* * *

'Where were you last night?' Spencer asked, putting her coffee down and sliding into a seat in the quad.

'Aria?'

'Hmmm? Sorry Han,' Aria murmured, pushing the food around on her plate.

'Don't apologise to me, Spence is the one who asked you a question.'

'What?' she looked up.

'You know what?' Emily giggled, 'Seeing as you clearly didn't sleep maybe we don't want to know…'

Aria rolled her eyes, 'I didn't sleep much, but I wasn't having fun.'

'What happened?'

'Ezra and I got in a pretty big fight,' she sighed, rubbing her face and dragging her hands through her hair.

'What about?'

'He wants me to go with him to tell his parents about us this weekend.'

'Wait,' Hanna was confused, 'Why is that a reason to get in a fight?'

'Because he told me that he'd told them months ago,' Aria said with indignation.

Spencer, Hanna and Emily exchanged a look.

'Aria…' Spencer began.

'What? Are you going to defend him?'

'We're not defending him,' Emily said, 'But I get why he didn't want to tell his parents.'

'But he lied. And when I called him on it he accused _me_ of lying.'

'Wait,' Hanna said, 'What did you lie about?'

'Nothing specific, apparently I just lie all the time,' Aria grumbled, stabbing her fork into her salad with unnecessary vigour.

'Well, you kind of do.'

'Hanna!'

'Look I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but you've lied to Ezra about way more significant things than this.'

'I lied to protect him.'

'I think what Hanna's trying to say,' Emily interjected, 'Is that maybe he lied because he thought it was better than hurting you.'

_Are they seriously taking his side? _

'No, he lied because he's ashamed of our relationship.'

'Or because he didn't want to hurt you by making you think that?' Spencer said, 'You can't blame him for caring about what his parents think of him.'

'Can I give you some advice?' Emily asked.

_No. _

Aria nodded.

'When I was first with Maya, I didn't want my parents to know. It wasn't because I was ashamed of who I was or how I felt about her; it was because I knew that they just wouldn't understand.'

'You know there's actually a lot of 'coming out' parallels here, it's pretty interesting,' Hanna mused.

'Okay, Socrates, let's save the thesis for another time,' Spencer laughed.

'Except for the fact that Emily didn't choose to be gay, you did choose to sleep with your English teacher.'

'Hanna!'

Aria chuckled, 'I guess I get what you're saying. I kind of feel bad now…I just really don't want to get into another fight, hear another bunch of people tell us all the same reasons why we'll never work.'

_I get what you're saying. I just don't like it. I do feel bad, but I don't like that either._

'But it's his parents,' Spencer said, 'You kind of owe it to them to let them have their say.'

'And you owe it to him,' Emily added.

'Besides,' Hanna said, 'They're unlikely to punch you in the face so it can't possibly be as bad as when you told your parents.'

Aria smiled.

_Sometimes you have to surrender when there's no victory to be had. _

* * *

Shutting her door behind her Aria went to her computer. He hadn't answered his phone. She didn't blame him. E-mail it would have to be.

_Ezra -_

_I'm sorry. I've thought about it a lot today and I understand why you did what you did. I shouldn't have gotten mad and I shouldn't have walked out on you. It wasn't fair and I know you would never do that to me. _

_If you still want to go this weekend I would be happy to meet your family, even if they're not happy to meet me. The sooner we get it over with the sooner they can get over it. Spencer's going to stay with her sister in Philly for the weekend and said she'd be my alibi and tell my mom I went with her. Let me know. _

_I couldn't sleep last night. Please can we never go to bed on an argument again? Even if we're mad at each other, can we at least text goodnight? If this year has taught me anything it's that I need to pick my fights. Choose the battles I can win and not participate in the ones where it isn't worth it. _

_I love you. Forgive me. _

_Aria_

She sighed and hit send.

Ten minutes later her phone buzzed.

_Goodnight. I love you. – E _

She switched her phone off and climbed into bed. She stared at the ceiling.

_What the hell am I letting myself in for?_

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry about the wait, I know I promised to update much sooner than I did. I think I seriously underestimated how intense my exams were going to be. I'll do my best to update more often and make it up to you. **

**This chapter seems very dialogue heavy to me, but it's necessary for what I have planned. It's also a bit lacking on the fluff, but then again, good things come to those who wait… I'm interested to know whose side you're on, though. I originally thought I was going to have Ezra apologise but I changed my mind as I wrote. **

**If you have questions, comments, (constructive) criticism etc. please review and let me know. **

**Annie **


	3. Family

**All characters belong to Sara Shepard and/or ABC Family. I do not own anything. **

* * *

**Chapter Three – Family**

'That dress looks pretty fancy for a weekend in the City with Spencer.'

Aria turned around, still holding the hanger up against her body. Ella was standing in the doorway to her room.

'Yeah,' she said, 'We were thinking we might go for dinner someplace, maybe see a play. Any excuse for dressing up.' She smiled, hoping it had worked.

Ella took a step into Aria's room, casting an eye over the half packed suitcase on her bed.

'That sounds nice,' she said. She fell into silence. All of a sudden she felt as though she was standing in a stranger's bedroom. Impinging on a stranger's life. She looked at the young woman sorting through dresses, the beautiful stranger who had once been her little girl. The girl who had run home from school to tell her about the day. She had called her 'mommy' and held her hand.

_When did I lose her? _Ella thought. _Was there a tipping point, a moment when she stopped being mine? _

'Mom?' Aria's voice cut through her hazy thoughts.

She blinked and looked away for a second, 'Yes?'

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she murmured, 'That dress is beautiful. Very grown up.'

The only thought that ran through Aria's mind was _good. Grown up is definitely what I was going for. _

'Aria…' Ella began, sinking onto the window seat.

'Yeah?'

'Come and sit down, we need to talk.'

Aria hung the dress she was holding back up in the closet. She sat down beside Ella, looking at her warily.

Ella turned and looked her daughter in the eye, 'I think that I should apologise to you.'

At this Aria could only be confused, 'Why?'

Ella began, 'I know that you've had an incredibly difficult few years. That you've had to deal with more than most people face in a lifetime. Because of that I suppose I've allowed certain…concessions…to be made. I've tried to make up for what you've lost and to accept that you have been forced to grow up much more quickly than I would have wanted.'

'Mom…'

'But I shouldn't have,' Ella sighed, 'I should never have let you go the way that I did. You have needed me more and more and I shouldn't have been scared to deal with what you were going through. I shouldn't have let you have this level of freedom. I should have stood my ground and protected you. I should have been brave enough to be an adult so that you could be a child. And I'm so, so sorry.'

'I'm not a little girl,' Aria whispered.

'I know, honey,' Ella reached out and tucked Aria's hair behind her ear, 'I know.'

'I'm sorry too, Mom,' Aria started to cry as she saw the faint line of paleness on Ella's finger where her wedding ring used to rest, 'I've torn our family apart.'

She broke down into tears, wrapping her arms around her mom and burying her head in her shoulder.

'Oh my baby,' Ella murmured, stroking her hair. 'Don't cry, please don't cry.'

A minute or so passed before Aria sat up, wiping her eyes.

'Listen to me,' Ella said, 'You did not break up this family. Your father and I don't love each other anymore. It's painful and it's sad, but there are dozens of reasons why this wasn't going to work. I'll admit that you highlighted some issues, but the issues were there. This was inevitable.'

Aria gave a weak smile.

'But,' Ella added, regaining her trademark steely glare, 'I have a question for you.'

_Oh crap. _

'What's that?' Aria's voice came out as something more akin to a squeal.

'Where is Ezra taking you for the weekend?'

Silence.

'To meet his parents.'

Ella breathed deeply, 'Thank you.'

'For what?'

'For being honest.'

'I hate lying to you, Mom.'

'Really? Because I'm not sure that I would ever do something I hate that often.'

Aria looked at her hands, 'I feel like I have to.'

'You don't _have _to do anything, Aria,' Ella said.

'You would have said I couldn't go!'

'Damn right I would,' Ella replied, 'I don't approve of your relationship with Ezra. I don't think it's appropriate for you to be with someone who is twenty-four years old when you're only seventeen, regardless of whether or not he was your teacher. I don't think that you should be in such an intense relationship with anyone whilst you're still in high school. I could stand here all day and tell you a million reasons why you I think that your being with him is a bad idea, and most of the world would agree with every single one of those reasons. But you've heard it all before,' she chuckled, 'And the two of you are nothing if not persistent.'

'I don't get what you're saying,' Aria said tentatively.

'I'm saying that I have every right to tell you that you can't go away for the weekend with a man who is seven years older than you when you're still a minor. I'm also saying that I don't know why I'm saying any of this because no matter what I do you ignore me and do whatever the hell you want.'

Aria felt like she'd been slapped, 'I love him.'

'I know you do. I know he loves you, it's written all over his face,' Ella cried, exasperation overtaking her. 'And do you know what the killer is? The fact that he's perfect for you. He is exactly the kind of man that I would want you to be with, but it just doesn't make it okay.'

'I don't get this. You've been letting me see him.'

'Yeah. Because he makes you happy,' Ella said, her voice breaking, 'All I ever wanted was for my children to be happy. I just can't accept that this is the only way for that to happen.'

'It's not the only way,' Aria said, resting her head against the wall, 'It's the easiest way.'

Ella laughed, 'It doesn't seem very easy to me.'

'I should call Ezra,' Aria sighed, reaching for her phone.

'Tell him to pick you up from here.'

'What?'

'You heard me,' Ella said, standing up and moving towards the door.

'Mom, in the nicest way possible, you are being nine different kinds of confusing today.'

'Are you going to do anything on this weekend away that you haven't done already?' Ella asked dryly.

Aria's eyes bugged out.

'Didn't think so,' Ella said, 'Besides, unless Ezra's parents are wacko hippies I'd imagine that you're not exactly letting yourself in for anything fun.'

'Yeah, I was actually kind of hoping you wouldn't let me go…'

'Not a hope in hell now you've said that,' Ella smirked.

'Where do we stand?' Aria blurted out, 'I mean, I feel like I'm getting kind of mixed signals.'

'You know how I feel, but I also know how you feel. Don't lie to me. I'll be more reasonable than you think I will,' Ella resolved.

She left the room. Aria stared after her.

_Was there a tipping point? A moment when my life just suddenly became this complicated?_

* * *

'So tell me about your family.'

Ezra glanced at Aria quickly before turning his attention back to the road, 'I've told you about them before.'

'I know,' she said, wringing her hands in her lap, 'Just tell me again.'

'Chill out, Aria.'

'Did you just tell me to _chill out_? When we're driving to meet your family? Are you…'

'Okay, I'm sorry,' he laughed, reaching his hand out and lacing his fingers with hers. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it quickly.

'Tell me about them.'

'My mom is called Dianne,' he began, 'She worked in an art gallery in New York before she met my Dad. She grew up in the City and never left until the summer of 1984, when she went out to Connecticut to deliver a painting to a house there. The son of the owners was called Joshua.'

'Your dad?'

He nodded, 'My dad. He had just graduated from Harvard and was home for the summer before moving to London to start a banking internship. She was a couple of years older than him; she'd had a very different life.'

'What was different?'

'Well, she grew up in Brooklyn, her parents were pretty bohemian – my grandpa was an artist. She didn't go to college; she actually never finished high school.'

'Seriously?' Aria asked, 'You never told me that before.'

'Didn't I? She doesn't really like to discuss that, so I wouldn't bring it up,' he added, 'She's always felt belittled by my dad's family. She's smart, really smart. She reads, writes and paints. She just never had the opportunity to do much with it; her parents needed her to work when she turned sixteen. She was a waitress for a couple of years before she made some flippant remark to a customer who owned a gallery and he hired her out of curiosity.'

'So what happened with your dad's family?'

'I'm pretty sure you can imagine what they were like. Huge house in Hartford, my dad and his brothers went to private school. The family tradition was to go to Yale but Dad preferred Harvard,' he smirked, 'At the time that was the biggest betrayal the Fitz family could imagine…until he married my mom.'

'Did they disown him?'

'No…it's complicated,' Ezra sighed, 'She arrived at the house when there was no one else home but my dad. He helped her with the picture and they talked, to be honest I think they probably hooked up but they've never actually said so…'

Aria laughed, 'TMI, I guess.'

'Yeah, anyway…they kept in touch. She went back to the City and they wrote to each other. Letters that became love letters. Then he went to visit her. He, I don't know, I think he saw something in her. There was a kind of understanding there that he'd never found before. His world had always been very narrow and she broadened it. She was a person with a life and a set of problems that were so entirely different from anything he'd ever known. When he saw her family's apartment in a rundown area, saw that at the age of 24 she shared a room with two sisters he went back to his mansion in Hartford and packed his bags. He emptied his trust fund and switched his first class ticket to London to two standard ones. They spent a year travelling. They bought a battered car and drove all over Britain, then they got a ferry to France. They went to Paris, Rome, Madrid and all of those places. But they also visited beautiful little towns and villages. They drank wine and read books…' Ezra's voice trailed off.

'That's so romantic,' Aria breathed.

'Yeah,' he said, 'Until my mom got pregnant'

'Then what happened?'

'They spent what they had left on getting back to America. They got married and my dad begged his dad to help them out. He refused.'

'Really?'

'I don't blame him; my dad had run off with a stranger. They hadn't heard from him in a year and he'd spent tens of thousands of dollars on croissants, novels and hotel rooms.'

'So what did they do?'

'My dad got a job as an English teacher, at a high school on Long Island,' Ezra said, 'And my brother was born a few months later.'

'Then…?'

He shrugged, 'They became pretty normal. They struggled financially, but things got better. I was born a couple of years later.'

'What about your dad's family?'

'I don't think they ever forgave him for leaving. Of course they sent Christmas and birthday presents, we occasionally went to visit them, but they never got over it.'

Aria was baffled, '_Why? _I mean, why would they reject their own child?'

'He rejected them. He took their money and left. It wasn't just about my mom, even though they never really liked her. I don't blame them. Besides, they still left him a lot of money. Mom and Dad can thank my grandparents for a lot. They have a very nice lifestyle thanks to them, particularly when you consider that they could have cut Dad off entirely.'

Aria raised her eyebrows, 'Surely family is more important than money.'

'I think so. But then I've never had a mortgage to pay or kids to feed.'

'What did they say, when you told them about me? You did actually tell them this time?'

'Yes,' Ezra replied, 'I told them last night on the phone.'

'And…?'

'Let's just see how it goes tonight.'

Aria grimaced, _not well_, then.

'Is Isaac going to be there?'

'My brother? Yeah I think so, his fiancée Rachel will be too.'

'When are they getting married?' Aria inquired.

'Christmas,' Ezra said, 'She wants a snowy wedding.'

Aria smiled, 'That sounds nice, I think I'd want to get married in the summer, though.'

'I'm sure when it comes to it you'll be able to choose whatever you want,' Ezra flashed her a grin.

She reached over quickly and kissed him on the cheek, before turning up the stereo and snuggling into her seat.

* * *

'Aria?'

'Mmmmmm…' she murmured.

'We're here.'

'We're what?' she sat bolt upright, dragging herself out of the deep dream she'd been immersed in.

'We're here,' Ezra repeated, a bemused look on his face.

'What the hell? Why didn't you wake me up sooner so I could sort my hair and my makeup out and...'

'Aria,' he interrupted, 'Never in the fifteen months that I've known you have I seen you look anything other than beautiful.'

'Shut up,' she snapped, hastily applying lipgloss and checking her hair in her tiny compact mirror.

He chuckled and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her slowly, breaking it off after a few moments to say, 'You're beautiful.'

'You're annoying,' she breathed.

'But you love me anyway.'

She giggled and kissed his nose quickly, as she pulled away she looked out for the first time at the house they'd drawn up at.

'Wow.'

It was big, but not huge. It was perfectly symmetrical, with bay windows on either side of an old fashioned porch with a swing seat. The clapboards were painted the most stunning, indescribable shade of pale blue. Old oak trees framed the driveway.

'It's so pretty,' she whispered.

Ezra smiled, 'I knew you'd like it. Just wait until you see Dad's study.'

'Floor to ceiling book shelves?'

'On every wall. And a fireplace.'

'Can we live here please?'

'I wish,' he laughed.

She couldn't stop staring as she climbed out of the car. She was, however, soon pulled from her trance as the front door opened and a man called out.

'Ezra!'

'Dad!' Ezra's face lit up as he walked to meet his father. He put their bags down as his dad enveloped him in a hug. Aria grinned as she watched them. Joshua was a little taller than Ezra, but he had the same build and the same perfect, piercing blue eyes. His hair was greying slightly, but she could see that it had once been Ezra's shade of brown and that it curled in the same way. As he clapped his son on the back she noticed his hands. She knew those hands.

'Dad,' Ezra said, turning back toward her, 'This is Aria.'

Joshua hesitated a moment, looking at the young woman standing by his son's car.

He broke into a smile, 'What a beautiful name,' he said, 'Welcome, come in.'

Despite his son's protestations, Joshua picked up the bags from the sidewalk. Ezra took Aria's hand and they walked together to the house. Joshua opened the door, calling out, 'Dianne? They're here!'

'I'm in the kitchen!' a voice replied, 'Looking forward to meeting the girl who's trying to ruin my son's life.'

* * *

**A/N: You've probably figured out how unreliable I am by now, I'm so sorry for the wait. Sometimes my muse leaves me. However, with the show back on air I'm likely to feel more inspired more often. (NOSE KISSES aaefhsekfjdhsfskj!) **

**I know Ezra's parents are divorced on the show, but I decided to write them like this. I went with the name Dianne but I'm not trying to mirror the show. I just made up the other names, went with the Biblical theme because I thought it was unlikely they'd name one child Ezra and the other one something totally different. **

**Thank you for all the reviews, favourites, story alerts, etc. Don't be shy… **

**Annie **


	4. Relative

__**All characters belong to Sara Shepard and/or ABC Family. I do not own anything. **

* * *

**_Recap:_**

_'Dad,' Ezra said, turning back toward her, 'This is Aria.'_

_Joshua hesitated a moment, looking at the young woman standing by his son's car._

_He broke into a smile, 'What a beautiful name,' he said, 'Welcome, come in.'_

_Despite his son's protestations, Joshua picked up the bags from the sidewalk. Ezra took Aria's hand and they walked together to the house. Joshua opened the door, calling out, 'Dianne? They're here!'_

_'I'm in the kitchen!' a voice replied, 'Looking forward to meeting the girl who's trying to ruin my son's life.'_

* * *

**Chapter Four - Relative**_  
_

Ezra winced.

'Dianne!,' Joshua called, giving Aria an apologetic look, 'Why don't you come out into the hall?'

'What? Oh goodness…' In a moment a woman appeared in the archway from the kitchen. Her faced was somewhat lined with the trappings of middle age, however her beauty was obvious. She had dark hair that was caught up in a clip and was wearing a loose patterned tunic over trousers. Aria could see her artist's background in her elaborate costume earrings. Straightaway the natural charm and charisma that had bewitched the young Joshua all those years ago became obvious.

Dianne looked Aria up and down for a moment, her sharp eyes taking everything in. Her face then broke into a tight smile.

'Aria,' she said, 'I'm so sorry, I was joking with Joshua. I hadn't heard the door and thought you were still outside. I'm so sorry if I've made you feel unwelcome.'

'Oh…' Aria stuttered, 'It's fine, I…'

Dianne cut her off, 'Ezra!' she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. 'I hope those flowers are for your poor mother to apologise for not visiting in months!'

'Of course, Mom. I'm sorry, I missed you.'

'Oh, I'll forgive you eventually. Come on into the kitchen. Beer?' she enquired.

'Do you have…lemonade?' Aria asked.

'Of course, I'm so sorry I forgot…for a moment…'

Ezra threw a weak smile at her over his shoulder as his mom took his arm and led them into the kitchen.

* * *

'I'm amazed we're allowed to sleep together,' Aria commented, looking around her at Ezra's teenage room. As she would have expected, it was a slightly less mature version of his current apartment. Dark blues and greens, bookshelves bursting at the seams and the occasional school cross country trophy.

'My mom's a bohemian at heart,' Ezra sighed, dropping their bags on a chair and flopping down on his bed.

He reached out his hand for her and she moved over to stand in front of him, pulling him into a sitting position and threading her fingers through his hair. Ezra settled his hands on her waist then, as she wrapped herself around him. For a few moments, he sat and she stood this way in silence.

'I'm sorry,' Ezra murmured into her stomach.

'You know what?' Aria replied, pulling his face up to hers.

'What?'

'I am so sick of the word _sorry_.'

He looked at her quizzically.

'You didn't do anything wrong,' she said. 'You have nothing to apologise for, my family was a lot worse to you. Yours weren't even that bad.'

'My mom could have been nicer.'

'Want to know something else?'

He nodded.

'I honestly don't know why she should have to be. If I were your mom I would be furious. She doesn't know me. As far as she's concerned all I've done is cause you to lose your job and be alienated from your friends. She probably thinks I'll go to college and get bored of you and then you'll be heartbroken and have had your life ruined. I'd hate me. In fact, when I say all of those things out loud I do hate me.'

'Aria, let's not go there. Please...' he begged. She looked at him sadly.

Trying to change the subject, he added, 'Are you going to get bored of me?'

'I don't think so,' she whispered, 'When I think about the future you're always in it. But nobody can know for certain.'

'Thank you for being honest,' he smiled at her.

'I'm always as honest with you as I can be.'

'I know. I'm sorry about what I said the other day. I know there are factors beyond your control.'

'What did I say about saying sorry?'

He grinned and pulled her down on top of him, capturing her squeals with his lips.

'I'd forgotten how squeaky this bed is…' he murmured.

Aria rolled off him and kissed his cheek, 'It doesn't matter anyway – we came up here to get ready for dinner.'

He groaned. Dinner was not going to be fun.

* * *

Aria surveyed the dining room over the rim of her water glass. Never in her life had she felt more out of her depth. She didn't think it was a deliberate effort on the part of Dianne and Joshua; in fact, they had tried their best to include her in the conversation as much as possible. But every time she was asked more about her life and her family she felt more and more provincial and embarrassed. Ezra's brother Isaac and his fiancée Rachel had also been kind to her, but this whole situation was a nightmare. Isaac was barely two years older than Ezra, yet at twenty-six he was living in New York city, engaged to be married in the winter at his Rachel's parents' New Hampshire home. He and Rachel had just returned from a month long vacation in India, where they'd trekked in the Himalayas and visited the Taj Mahal. As Aria had come to realise, this was the tip of the iceberg of the Fitz family's tendency to exotic and cultured experiences. Everything in the house seemed to have a story behind it. To make matters worse, Aria was, of course, the only guest at the dinner not to be able to drink any of the wine Joshua had bought last summer in Bordeaux. Her few brief anecdotes about Iceland did not cut it with these people.

'Aria?' Rachel's voice cut through her internal monologue.

'Yes?' she attempted to smile.

'What do you think?'

_Oh crap. _

'About what, sorry?'

'Well, you're a vegetarian, aren't you?'

'Yes…'

'Well I was just saying that after visiting the Ladakhi monasteries I was seriously considering Buddhism, but I'll admit I was put off by the more limited diet. What motivated you to become vegetarian?'

'I don't like eating things with a face.'

There was an awkward silence.

Rachel gave a tinkling laugh, 'Oh I'm not sure I was ever serious about it anyway - spiritually, at least. Though I must say I was struck by the peaceful way of life the Tibetan people have, and the semantics of Buddhist scripture is astoundingly beautiful…'

Aria took another gulp of her water, if only to disguise her eye roll.

She felt Ezra's hand give her leg a quick squeeze under the table. It made her feel slightly better, if only for a moment before Isaac launched into his views on Tibet.

* * *

Later, feigning a need for fresh air, Aria found herself leaning against the railings of the back porch, observing the moonlight as it struck the small lake at the bottom of the garden. As nightmare inducing as the evening had been, this truly was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen.

She sighed. She could convince herself as much as possible that Ezra loved her, which was true, and that he would rather have her than someone like Rachel, which was also true, yet she still couldn't stop the difference nagging at her. As pretentious as Rachel and Isaac were, they were adults. They had college degrees, jobs, an apartment and a life together in a way that still seemed so very distant for her and Ezra. Even if they lived together whilst Aria was at college, that was four years of Ezra helping to support her financially. The trips they talked of late at night were unimaginable. The inequality in their relationship was bleak and insurmountable.

'It's lovely, isn't it?'

Aria turned suddenly.

'I apologise,' Joshua laughed, 'I didn't mean to frighten you.'

'It's okay,' she said, 'I was just…a million miles away.'

He sat down on the bench by the door, 'Sometimes, a million miles away seems like a good place to be.'

'Nowhere seems great right now, if I'm honest.'

Joshua gave a rueful smile, 'I'm sure tonight hasn't been easy for you. I'm sorry for that.'

'That's okay, honestly, I understand.'

'Can I give you a piece of advice, Miss Montgomery?'

'Of course.'

Ezra's dad thought for a moment, sighing to himself. 'Firstly, I wouldn't let yourself feel put out by Rachel. Dianne and I adore her but we are not alone in thinking that both she and Isaac would benefit from occasionally keeping their opinions to themselves,' he cracked a smile at Aria's chuckle. 'Secondly, I do not claim to be the perfect father. Both of my sons have done things I'm not proud of, and I'm afraid that dating a student comes into that category. However, in my humble view the process of falling in love is a simple one. The on-going act of being in love is more difficult. At my wise old age I have enough faith left in humanity to believe that if you and Ezra, two intelligent and educated people, can make the love you feel for each other endure the significant tests it has already and will continue to come across then there must be something special about it. There are some crimes that are unforgivable, and loving isn't one of them.'

Fixing his eyes on Aria's, he added, 'But that is just an old man's perspective.'

Aria laughed, 'You're hardly old.'

'Well that might just be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me,' Joshua stood up, 'I do ask one thing of you, young lady.'

'What's that?'

'I know that my wife has been less than entirely welcoming, however that comes from a place of love. In my experience a mother's love is not to be tampered with. I ask only that you attempt, at some point before you leave tomorrow, to have some kind of honest conversation with her. I was thinking that I would take Ezra with me to the garage in the morning to get my car looked at. Perhaps then.'

Aria nodded.

'Good,' Joshua said, 'Now then, I think we should probably rescue Ezra from his soon-to-be sister-in-law's clutches but it would be much more fun to make him suffer, so how about we hide in my study and I find you a drink – that is if you promise to keep it a secret?'

'That sounds wonderful.'

* * *

'Where the hell did you go?' Ezra asked incredulously as Aria appeared in his room several hours later.

'I was talking to your Dad, he was giving me advice on colleges,' she said. 'You were right, by the way – his study is incredible.'

'Well I'm glad one of us had fun,' Ezra muttered, 'I spent the rest of the night hearing about bridesmaids' dresses and flowers. Tell me, why do women feel the need to refer to their weddings as THE wedding? As if no one else has ever got married before.'

'Don't ask me, my cousin got married four years ago and still talks about THE wedding,' Aria responded, locating Ezra's discarded t-shirt and pulling it over her head in lieu of pyjamas, 'Are they having a Buddhist ceremony?'

'Oh god, I'm so sorry,' Ezra groaned, 'And I'm sorry for saying sorry.'

Aria laughed as she climbed into bed, 'You're allowed to be sorry for Rachel, she has no excuse for being that irritating.'

She snuggled up to him, tucking her head under his arm and pressing a kiss against his bare chest. He rubbed his hand gently along her thigh before checking himself, remembering the squeakiness of the bed.

'My parents are only in the next room, so…'

'Yeah,' Aria was quick to agree, 'I think we can live without one night.'

He kissed her gently and snuggled further down under the covers.

'I have a question.'

'What's that?' Ezra mumbled sleepily.

'Have you ever had a girl in this bed before?'

'Yes. My parents were out. Go to sleep.'

'Who?'

'Aria…'

'I don't mind I'm just curious.'

'I lost my virginity in this bed.'

'Stephanie?' Aria asked, remembering Ezra telling her about his high school girlfriend. He nodded. 'I hope you've changed the sheets,' she whispered.

'At least there were sheets Miss Back of a Car in Iceland.'

She batted him softly, 'I was in Europe, it doesn't count.'

'Go to sleep.'

'I love you.'

'You too.'

As Ezra drifted off Aria enjoyed the tranquillity of laying in his arms, something their difficult circumstances didn't often allow for. The necessity of her impending conversation with Dianne, however, saw to that peaceful mood.

* * *

**A/N: May I first apologise for being the most unreliable updater ever. I think its been six months since I last looked at this story which is very annoying of me and I am really very sorry. When I'm done with this I promise to go back to one shots and stay there. My fangirl tendencies come and go and (as anyone who follows my twitter may have noticed), they've been seriously gone for a while now. If I'm truthful, I first joined twitter and started writing fic because I needed somewhere to escape to, and my excuse for disappearing is really that life's been pretty good lately and I haven't felt the need to escape so much. That hasn't changed, I think I just felt a bit inspired with season 3B starting soon. I'll also admit that I didn't really enjoy 3A that much, I hated the Malcolm story and wish it would go away and the A stuff got a bit repetitive. Toby being part of the A team was awesome, though, (sorry, Spoby shippers) and the Halloween special was great so I'm trying to be optimistic about the new episodes**

**Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Happily AU, no babies of any kind allowed. Reviews or messages are always welcome. Only one chapter left, I will do my best to update within six months next time….**


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